Le Mas de Chabran

Le Mas de Chabran sits at the foot of the Alpilles, in the heart of Provence, near the villages of Maussane-les-Alpilles and Les Baux-de-Provence, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in France. This is classic Provence: plane trees, lavender, olive groves and honey-coloured stone, with Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, its markets and its Roman ruins close by, and Avignon within easy reach. The Alpilles are gentler and quieter than the Luberon further east, known for wine, olive oil and long, unhurried lunches.

The house began in 1738 as an oil mill on a working olive estate, and one of its original olive presses still stands under the vaulted arches of the living room today. It later became the residence of Pierre Chabran, a notary from Saint-Rémy, who laid out the formal French gardens still there now. In 2017, after years of negotiation, the house was bought by Liliana and Alain Meylan, an interior designer and architect, who spent two years restoring it, opening in 2019, and have kept refining it since. The restoration keeps the bones of the building, carved stone arches, vaulted ceilings, natural clay and lime plasters, while bringing in contemporary art and comfort throughout. Eight ensuite bedrooms, each between 18 and 35 square metres, sleep up to sixteen guests, and the grounds hold a heated pool beneath centuries-old olive trees, a tennis court, a spa floor with sauna and gym, and a kitchen garden. Breakfast, housekeeping and a villa team are included as standard.